Cozy cabin nestled on the quiet shores of Gull Lake

The Cavender Family was officially established with the marriage of Alex and Kaylie in 2016, but things really began when these two high school sweethearts met in 2007. After dating for almost 6 years, Alex finally proposed to Kaylie in June of 2013 on the annual fishing trip in Chetek, WI. After many tears, the answer was finally YES and 3 short years later they would be ceremoniously wed. Two moves, two children, two rabbits, three dogs, and four years later the Cavender Family would finally settle on the shores of Gull Lake in what they plan to be their forever home.

Who are Meme & Papa?

Meme & Papa’s story began on July 24, 1965 with their wedding in Momence, Illinois. The following year they welcomed their first child and took a well-deserved anniversary trip to Gull Lake with several good friends. Between 1966 and 1972 Meme & Papa welcomed three children into their family. Over the next several decades, they continued to make the trip to Gull Lake each year with their children, friends, and extended family. Meme & Papa then welcomed their first of four grandchildren in 1989, adding yet another generation that is able to claim Gull Lake as their second home.

Just as they had done with their own children, Meme & Papa were able to imprint the importance of family on their grandchildren through quality time spent together on the lake. This, in turn, has led to two of their grandchildren proposing while on the annual fishing trip and all of them using it as a “testing grounds” for their future spouses. Meme & Papa’s children and spouses, as well as their four grandchildren and spouses all continue to join them each year on Gull Lake. In 2018, Meme & Papa’s first great grandchild, Alex and Kaylie’s first child, was baptized into a tradition that has now spanned more than 50 years and four generations. When Alex & Kaylie purchased the home in 2020, it secured Gull Lake as a place for the family to continue to grow and bond for generations to come.